Who was Christy Mathewson? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Christopher Mathewson, Big Six, The Christian Gentleman

Died At Age: 45

Family:

siblings: Henry Mathewson

Born Country: United States

Baseball Players American Men

Died on: October 7, 1925

place of death: Saranac Lake, New York, United States

U.S. State: Pennsylvania

Cause of Death: Tuberculosis

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1

When did Christy Mathewson retire from baseball?

Christy Mathewson officially retired from baseball in 1916.
2

What position did Christy Mathewson play in baseball?

Christy Mathewson was a pitcher in baseball.
3

What was Christy Mathewson's nickname in baseball?

Christy Mathewson was known as "The Christian Gentleman."
4

In which team did Christy Mathewson spend most of his career?

Christy Mathewson spent most of his career playing for the New York Giants.
5

What is Christy Mathewson's career ERA?

Christy Mathewson's career earned run average (ERA) was 2.13.

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Childhood & Early Life

Christopher Mathewson was born on August 12, 1880, in Factoryville, Pennsylvania, to Gilbert B Mathewson and Minerva J Capwell. He had five younger siblings. His father was a Civil War veteran and a farmer.

He attended Keystone Preparatory Academy.�A Bucknell University, he became the class president and a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

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Career

In 1899, Mathewson signed a professional contract with Taunton, Massachusetts, of the New England League after his freshman year. Although his pitching failed to achieve mass admiration, it caught the attention of the manager of the Portland club, John Smith.

'Phenomenal John' Smith signed him up for the Norfolk team of the Virginia-North Carolina League after Taunton went bankrupt. Mathewson had a 20-2 record at the end of the season.

Norfolk found the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Giants at their doorsteps with offers for Mathewson. Mathewson chose the Giants and they purchased his contract from Norfolk for $1,500.

In between July and September of 1900, he played in six games and went 0-3 with a 5.08 ERA and the club gave him back to Norfolk. The Cincinnati Reds grabbed the Pennsylvanian pitcher, only to pass him to the Giants in return for Amos Rusie.

Mathewson was also playing football from 1898 on a professional level with the Greensburg Athletic Association. In 1902 he played in the first National Football League while also a member of the Giants. However, he stopped playing football in order to focus on baseball.

John McGraw became the fulltime manager of New York Giants in July 1903 and turned around the fortunes of Mathewson and the Giants. The team went from a 48-88 record in 1902 to an 84-55 record the next year.

In 1903, Mathewson led the league with 267 strikeouts and this record was only broken in 1961 by Sandy Koufax.

Mathewson became the team's premier pitcher after regularly posting low ERAs and winning close to a 100 games. The Giants started rising in the rankings and went on to capture the pennant in 1904.

With 105 wins in 1905, the Giants won the pennant and faced the Philadelphia Athletics for the World Series. Mathewson pitched a 4-hit shutout in Game 1, another 4-hit shutout in Game 3 and a 6-hit shutout in Game 5 to win the series for the Giants.

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His best year was 1908 with career highs in wins (37), games (56), innings (390.2) and shutouts (11), and he went 37-11 with a 1.43 ERA. He won the pitching Triple Crown for the second time and he averaged at less than one walk per nine innings.

The year 1909 saw him register his career-best ERA of 1.14 and he led the National League with 27 wins in 1910. He helped the Giants win three consecutive NL pennants from 1911 to 1913 and lead with ERA's of 1.99 and 2.06 in 1911 and 1913 respectively.

The Giants lost the 1911 and 1913 World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics and the 1912 World Series to the Boston Red Sox. He struggled with his form for the next few years and the Giants began descending in the rankings.

He retired in 1916 as a player and managed the Reds for the entire 1917 season and the first 118 games of 1918 before heading to France to captain the Chemical Warfare Division of the US Army in the First World War.

He was accidently exposed to Mustard Gas during a chemical training exercise while in France, as a result of which he developed tuberculosis.

In 1923, Giants’ attorney Emil Fuchs formed a syndicate to buy the Boston Braves team to bring his lifetime friend, Mathewson back in the game as the team's principal owner and team president. However, Mathewson's health kept deteriorating and he gave the post to Fuchs by the end of the season.

Awards & Achievements

He was a member of the Giants’ team when they became the 'World Series' champion in 1905 and a four-time 'NL wins champion' in 1905, 1907, 1908 and 1913.

Along with winning the Triple Crown twice (1905 and 1908), he was a five-time NL ERA champion (1905, 1908, 1909, 1911 and 1913) and five-time NL strikeout champion (1903, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1908).

The Giants retired his 'NY' jersey and he was honoured posthumously for his sports achievements as one of the original five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

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The Sporting News ranked him No. 7 on their 100 Greatest Baseball Players list in 1999 and ESPN ranked his 1905 World Series performance as the greatest playoff performance of all time.

Christy Mathewson is regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game.�Mathewson won 373 games and lost 188. His total wins (373) are still number one in the National League, tied with Grover Cleveland Alexander.�

Personal Life & Legacy

Christy Mathewson married Jane Stoughton in 1903. The couple was blessed with a baby boy Christopher Jr.

He compiled his Major League experiences in the book 'Pitching in a Pinch' (1912). He followed it up with other literary endeavours including the play 'The Girl and the Pennant' and children's book 'Second Base Sloan'.

He accidently got exposed to Mustard Gas at the Army's Chemical Warfare Division in France in 1918 and developed tuberculosis. After fighting the disease for years, he succumbed to it on October 7, 1925, in Saranac Lake, NY and was buried at the Lewisburg Cemetery.

His hometown of Factoryville celebrates the Saturday closest to his birthday as 'Christy Mathewson Day', and his university renamed its football stadium to 'Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium' in his honour.

Facts About Christy Mathewson

Mathewson was not only a baseball star but also a talented scholar, graduating from Bucknell University with a degree in mining engineering.

In addition to his baseball skills, Mathewson was an accomplished writer, publishing a series of articles on baseball strategy and tactics in the early 1900s.

Mathewson's sportsmanship and gentlemanly demeanor on and off the field earned him the nickname "The Christian Gentleman" among fans and peers.

Off the field, Mathewson was a devoted family man and community leader, known for his philanthropy and charitable work in his hometown of Factoryville, Pennsylvania.

Christy Mathewson Biography

You wanted to know

When did Christy Mathewson retire from baseball?

What position did Christy Mathewson play in baseball?

What was Christy Mathewson's nickname in baseball?

In which team did Christy Mathewson spend most of his career?

What is Christy Mathewson's career ERA?